Serves on the PAC Committee for the Art Institute of Colorado’s Kitchen and Bath NKBA-approved Program

Barbara Barton is a designer, and a marketing and appliance specialist, who has shared over 30 years of business and sales experience with several kitchen and bath dealerships, appliance stores, as well as two major appliance distributors: HADCO in Atlanta and Roth Distributing in Denver.

She shares her passion for training, education and marketing as an appliance specialist, conducting seminars for kitchen and bath dealers, trade organizations such as AIA, ASID and NKBA, independent designers, interior design school classes, and remodelers. She contributes articles to Residential Design Build and Remodeler’s Quarterly on an annual basis. She serves on the PAC Committee for the Art Institute of Colorado’s Kitchen and Bath NKBA-approved program. Currently, she is committed to special event coordination, marketing consulting, certified coaching to the industry, as well as keeping her hand in kitchen design from her hometown of Denver, Colorado.

Cheryl Parsley, co-owner of Rene Products LLC in Cleves, Ohio, has been in the business of design for over 29 years. Continuing the tradition of handcrafted quality since 1957, Rene Products is a family owned and operated business that specializes in high-end solid wood custom cabinetry. The company brings together the talents of woodworking craftsmen and the knowledge of an innovative design staff to create a versatile range of products. Cabinetries produced by Rene Products are hand-delivered to clients. They primarily serve clients in the Cincinnati, North Kentucky, and Southeastern Indiana areas.

Donna Venegas has been in the design industry for over ten years and is the founder and kitchen designer at Venegas and Company, a boutique design studio and showroom that specializes in custom cabinetry and a positive client experience. Motivated by happy clients, Ms. Venegas works to please each and every client with designs that fit their personality and lifestyle, earning respect from her team and industry colleagues through thoughtful design in an engaging and thoughtful environment.

Ms. Venegas holds degrees in Interior Design from Boston Architectural College, an Economics and International Studies degree from Boston College, and is certified by the National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA). She is also involved with several industry design councils, helping define the direction and future of kitchen design.

Besides her love for design, she eagerly awaits the months of April to October for boat season and can often be seen on the cold waters in Boston Harbor. Ms. Venegas’ mantra is, “Kitchens are not business, they’re personal!”

Geri Higgins is CEO/president of Portfolio Kitchen & Home, recognized as the Midwest’s premier kitchen, bath, and home design firm. Known for her progressive approach in design and business, Ms. Higgins has built strategic local, national, and international business alliances to further Portfolio’s growth. The firm’s award-winning designs, unique product collections and client services have resulted in considerable growth and success in their residential, commercial, and lifestyle analytics divisions. Portfolio has been honored with numerous Design Excellence Awards, including the prestigious Edward R. Tanner Award. In 2011, Ms. Higgins was recognized as Kansas City’s Most Influential Women by KC Business Journal. At Portfolio, Ms. Higgins is involved in all aspects of the business and works to make every client’s experience a unique one. In an interview with KC Business Journal, Ms. Higgins shared that client meeting is not something that is a canned experience. "Good design changes people’s lives."

Holly Boling Ruiz is a distinguished senior designer with Philpotts & Associates, whose focus on hospitality, resort, and high-end residential and commercial projects throughout the U.S., Asia, and Pacific has made the firm famous for their ability to infuse the local culture into their designs. Her talent in listening to clients is reflective of the firm’s strengths and can be seen in her many projects from around the world, from Taipei, Taiwan to Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Her most recent project on a number of custom homes in the resort community of Hualalai on the island of Hawaii has been featured in Architectural Digest, First Hawaiian Bank, and Vanguard Lofts in Honolulu. She has been in the design industry since 1986 and is a member of the American Society of Interior Designers, International Interior Design Associates, and is certified by the National Council for Interior Design Qualification. Some of her many accomplishments include being the 2008 Overall Winner for the Drysdale Residence and 2005 ASID Overall Winner for Kahala Nui Senior Living Community. In January 2002 she was honored as one of the Top 100 Interior Designers internationally by the Architectural Digest.

Jennifer Allison specializes in designing client-specific building projects, ranging from kitchen remodels to complete home renovations. She has designed high-end custom and speculative homes for over 10 years.

In addition to her various high-end projects, she also works on entry-level single-family tract communities and town homes. Ms. Allison is an avid member of the National Kitchen and Bath Association and contributor of the Kitchen and Bath Design News. In 2008, she was the winner of the National Thermador New Freedom Kitchen Design Contest. Ms. Allison currently lives in Los Angeles, loves animals, travels the world, and is an active equine enthusiast.

Lisa Brooks

Name: Lisa BrooksCompany: Brooks Kitchen and Bath Design, Inc.Region: Greater Atlanta and North Georgia areaWebsite/blog: www.brookskb.comAreas of Specialty: Kitchen and bath solutions for both renovations and new construction.Professional Affiliations:

Member, American Society of Interior Designers

Member, National Kitchen & Bath Association

Member, Universal Design Alliance

Lisa Brooks, a designer who has received several industry awards and has projects featured in numerous local publications, strives to create an amazing client experience from start to finish. When designing kitchens and baths for her prominent clientele, she makes a point to create a space that fits their personality and lifestyle. Her careful attention to detail, professionalism, and unique understanding of her clients result in dreams come true for her clients. Ms. Brooks is also active in the American Society of Interior Designers, the National Kitchen and Bath Association, the Universal Design Alliance, and number of other professional organizations.

Lisa Mende is a North Carolina based interior designer, tastemaker and design blogger. As the principal of Lisa Mende Design for over two decades, Lisa is known for her warm demeanor and casual luxe style. She has a talent for guiding clients in creating unique homes that speak to their past, as well as their present. Vintage pieces and antiques mixed with modern classics and original art are hallmarks of her design aesthetic. Lisa harkens back to her southern roots to create homes that center around family life, tradition and heritage. Her portfolio includes a vast range of projects that include everything from historic preservation to new construction.

Local, regional and national magazines regularly feature Lisa and her work. She has worked on the local level as a photo shoot stylist as well as a national level for Traditional Home magazine. Having survived personal tragedy, Lisa understands the trauma and stresses of lifes hard knocks and enjoys using her talents to make life better for others with yearly charity projects. She participated in the Traditional Homes "Adamsleigh" Show house in 2013 and the Ronald McDonald Long Island Project Design in 2014, both of which raised money to help families in need.

Lisa is a social media authority and editor of a widely-acclaimed eponymous blog, which was named by Modenus as Top 100 Blog in 2013 & 2014. She participated in Modenus Blogtour London, Blogtour KBIS and will travel to Blogtour Frankfurt in 2015. In the role of a design tastemaker, Lisa served as a High Point International Furniture Market Style Spotter for three markets. She was an Ambassador for The La Cienega "Legends Event" in LA in May 2014. Lisa is honored to be a member of Thermador's Design Council for 2015. Lisa is a celebrated speaker on "Brand Building Through Social Media" and has served as a past moderator for Design Tech Summit. She is a coveted member of Brizo’s coveted blogger19 group. She Mostly recently Lisa has been working on an exciting new venture collaborating with brands for crosspollination advertising through social media exposure.

Lynn Knight Jessee

Name: Lynn Knight JesseeCompany: LKJ Designs, Kitchen ConceptsRegion: Tulsa, OKWebsite/blog: www.kitchenconceptstulsa.comYears in Business: 40+Areas of Specialty:Traditional and contemporary kitchens and baths with an emphasis on the unexpected and ultimate designs.Professional Affiliations: Participated for many years in Designer’s Showcase Homes

Lynn Jessee is a nationally recognized interior designer for more than 40 years who has won numerous awards and has been featured in nationwide publications. She opened her company, LKJ Designs, to share with others her unique design perspective. In 1994, she and her son created a luxury bath and kitchen company, Kitchen Concepts, specializing in high-end residential homes. They were invited to showcase their new designs at the Luxury Kitchen and Bath Show in New York City and Las Vegas. Today their clients span coast to coast with Kitchen Concepts located in Tulsa and Oklahoma City, where they specialize in traditional and contemporary kitchens and baths with an emphasis on the unexpected and ultimate designs.

Ms. Jessee has been awarded the Design Journal’s Platinum and Gold ADEX Award for design excellence in kitchen and bath furniture design.

Marc Thee

Marc Thee is the Principal of Marc-Michaels Interior Design, ranked in 2013 by Interior Design Magazine as the #1 residential design firm in the United States. With over 25 years of leading-edge design innovation the firm has garnered over 400 prestigious design awards. Architectural Digest has consistently named Marc-Michaels to their prestigious list of the "Top 100 Designers in the World."

With over 25 years of experience in high end interior design, his talent reflects an ability to help others recognize the true potential of the spaces in which they live. Marc’s personal approach to residential design is 10 decisions or less. He tries to make things as simple as possible. Marc believes in today’s chaotic world people are appreciating “less is more.” Marc is an expert in subtleties, for example, proportions, finishes and details that come together and make the room feel welcoming. He strives to create a personal sanctuary for each individual client. Each home should be a reflection of the client and their one-of-a-kind journey through life.

Marc speaks annually at the International Builders Show and South Eastern Builders Conference hosted by the National Association of Homebuilders. And was selected by the NAHB to design the 2014 New American Home. He enjoys sharing his experience with those seeking innovative and creative ways to improve their homes. He is passionate about sharing his secrets that will make your home "live for you."

Martha Vega is the Co-Founded Danmar Cabinet Company in 1999 in the beautiful San Francisco Bay Area. A designer for over 20 years, she has helped clients discover solutions as a wholesale cabinet distributor representative. Ms. Vega is a Certified Kitchen Designer certified by the National Kitchen and Bath Association and a Certified Green Building Professional by Build It Green. While an active member in the National Kitchen and Board Association, she has held various past board positions in the Northern California Chapter. Her participation in these associations means her clients can rely on her to be current on design trends as well as the future direction of kitchen design.

When Ms. Vega isn’t designing kitchens, she is a supportive mom to her daughter’s cheerleading club, team manager to her son’s soccer team, and public relations representative for Kings Mountain Associated Parents. Ms. Vega also supports her community’s non-profit organization, the San Mateo County Battered Women’s Group, by hosting design events. Ms. Vega shares her passion for cooking with clients while exchanging ideas about the importance of function in today’s busy kitchen spaces, improving the ease and joy of cooking.

Member of ASID (American Society of Interior Designers), CID (Certified Interior Designer), and CAPS (Certified Aging in Place Specialist)

Founding member of RSPI (Residential Space Planners International)

Mary Knott established Mary Fisher Designs in 1963, a firm dedicated to kitchen and bath design and ergonomic space planning. Ms. Knott is a member of the American Society of Interior Designers and is a certified interior designer and certified Aging-in-Place specialist. Her kitchen and bath designs for new construction and remodeling of existing spaces have been featured in numerous publications for her design and expertise. Ms. Knott’s most recent accomplishment is publishing her fifth book, Kitchen and Bath Design, published by John Wiley & Son in January 2011.

Driven by a philosophy that thoughtful, practical and architecturally driven design improves lives, MaryJo is an award-winning designer who has built a career on providing expertise for clients to live and work well. For over 30 years, she has practiced her skill in a variety of positions including Principal of Great Kitchens in Menlo Park, Vice President of Marketing and Lead Designer for Standards of Excellence’s State of the Industry appliance showrooms and Adjunct Professor at Canada College.

MaryJo is currently Partner in DesignCamp, RLLP, a Kitchen and Bath Design Experience in Denver, NC, consulting with residential and industry clients. She is the author of Kitchens with Confidence, a training program designed for Lowe’s, an active member of NKBA and NARI and the designer of record for kitchens and baths at all price levels in locations across the country.

Founder and member, Olympic West Sound Chapter of the National Kitchen and Bath Association

Subject Matter Expert, US Green Building Council’s Green Home Guide

Member, National Kitchen and Bath Association

Member, The Home Builders Association of Kitsap County Built Green® Program and Remodelers Council

Member, Northwest EcoBuilding Guild

Member, Green America and the Bainbridge Island Chamber of Commerce

Molly Erin McCabe, AKBD, CGP, CAPS, an award winning designer and general contractor, is the principal designer and co-owner of A Kitchen That Works™ LLC. Ms. McCabe has published numerous articles and has lectured locally and nationally on design and construction. She has contributed as a Subject Matter Expert for the US Green Building Council’s GreenHomeGuide.com, is a member of the Thermador Design Council and was a founding Board Member and past President of both the Olympic West Sound Chapter of the National Kitchen and Bath Association and the Kitsap Chapter of the NW Ecobuilding Guild. Ms. McCabe is an active member of her community volunteering with youth and teens, environmental groups and other not-for-profit community groups through projects and Board participation.

Molly McCabe and Clive Pardy live and work in a Three Star Built Green® home that they designed and built along with their two children. They can be reached at 206.780.1906 or info@akitchenthatworks.com.

With over 15 years of experience specializing in custom kitchen design, Nadia’s passion for design and client rapport has garnered Aidan Design a reputation for thoughtful design, quality products and dedicated customer service.

For Nadia, "form always follows function" and is her guiding inspiration in all her designs. A living space that reflects the character and lifestyle of each client, organized and balanced to achieve greatest efficiency and creativity, is the signature of Aidan’s designs.

Aidan celebrated their 10th anniversary in the fall of 2011 by donating a kitchenette and art space for the children of Martha’s Table and officially launching a lighting division.

When not working, Nadia enjoys her time creating with her two girls, meal planning with her husband, John and strategizing about how to make that next big trip.

Patrick Borg is senior executive at Neff of Chicago, a company known for creating luxurious and innovative cabinets since its founding in 1966. Mr. Borg has successfully managed both privately-held and public organizations in various senior leadership roles from executive experience on board of directors to establishing entrepreneurial enterprises. The core competencies of the companies he has managed include sales, marketing, advertising, distribution, design, and manufacturing. In the ever-changing North American retail industry, he has a track record of steady business achievement, growth and turnaround.

Sandra Steiner-Houck, CKD and Allied A.S.I.D., professionally practices Interior Design specializing in high-end kitchens and baths, her passion for over 30 years. She is president of the design division and co-owner of Steiner-Houck & Associates, LLC, an award-winning firm based in Pennsylvania that focuses on providing timeless designs that are reflective of their client’s personality. She holds an associate of arts degree in interior design from Bauder Fashion College, serves on the panel for the NKBA Design Competition, and periodically writes articles for design publications including Southern Accents, Women’s Day magazine, and Kasmar designer books. Her award-winning designs have gained her both national and international recognition; leading to publication in Marquis Who's Who in Science & Engineering, Who's Who in The World, Who's Who in The East and Who's Who of American Women.

She is a member of the National Association of Professional Women, Designing Profits Best Practices Network. When not designing, Ms. Steiner-Houck enjoys traveling, reading books on psychology, and working out at the gym.

Suzanne Felber

Years in Business: 30+Areas of Specialty:Full service design, Model home makeovers, Assessments of existing model homes and communities, Staging of homes, Styling for photography Professional Affiliations:

Member and instructor, Institute of Residential Marketing

Board of Trustees, National Sales and Marketing Council (Previous Member)

Member, Thermador Design Council

Member, National Association of Home Builders

Lifestylist® for The New American Home 2011

Board Member, HomeAid Dallas

Suzanne Felber, MIRM, created The Home Idea Factory because she envisioned a design firm that focused on empowering individuals to discover their inner designer. A veteran in the design industry with over 30 years of experience, Ms. Felber understands the need for designs that feel like home. Her work has been shown in numerous publications including Home Magazine, This Old House, and Home Depot’s Style Ideas. She has websites and blogs that include www.modelhomesthatsell.com and www.lifestylist.com, both popular destinations for aspiring designers.

Ms. Felber is part of the National Association of Home Builders, a member of the Institute of Residential Marketing with the National Association of Home Builders and is a national instructor of their IRM III class. Her designs won a National Gold award for merchandising of a home under $150,000. She also was awarded over 12 McSam Awards for Merchandising and is a Lifestylist® for The New American Home 2011. When not designing, she is an active volunteer in her community, serving as a board member for HomeAid Dallas which builds and renovates homes for America’s temporarily homeless families and individuals.

Ms. Felber calls Dallas home and is busy renovating a 1941 printing loft into her studio and living space.

From the old-time grandeur of the tearoom at the New York Palace to the Art Deco beauty of the Chrysler building, or the coveted, laid-back feeling of the Hampton's, Toni Sabatino's style is a mix of high and low design elements with distinctive details that won't compromise the grace and period of a home's architecture.

A leading kitchen designer, Sabatino cut her chops working with a kitchen cabinet manufacturer, and then a distributer in-house, at the same time building a portfolio of 1000 kitchens -- everything from floorplans and product specifications to complete delivery and installation -- before launching her own firm. Vivid, deep colors, playfully sophisticated patterns and furnishings and large scale are all signatures of her work.

A native New Yorker, Sabatino has designed residential and commercial projects all over Manhattan as well as in Brooklyn, on Long Island, the Hampton's and in resort destinations like Vermont, Palm Beach and Las Vegas. She is a proud recipient of a Best Of Houzz 2013 Award in the remodeling category.